China Fines US Due Diligence Services Firm Mintz Group $1.5 Million

China fined Mintz Group, an American due diligence services firm, $1.5 million for allegedly conducting "unapproved statistical work," The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 21. This comes after China raided Mintz Group's office in March and detained five officials, the report said (see 2305260054).

In a July 5 document linked by CNN, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics said that Mintz Group conducted "foreign-related statistical investigations” without first seeking approval, according to an unofficial translation. This happened across 37 projects from March 2019 to July 2022.

The ruling was posted to the Beijing Statistics Bureau website on July 14, according to CNN. The notice said the bureau had been unable to reach the legal representative for the Mintz Group. The notice asked for Mintz to respond within 30 days from the date of the announcement to obtain the "Administrative Punishment Decision."

Mintz Group did not respond to our request for comment.